Tuesday November 11, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — A major naval exercise involving Egypt, Saudi Arabia and four regional partners has begun in the Red Sea, heightening strategic attention on the waterway as Ethiopia voices growing concern over shifting maritime alliances.
The drill, known as Red Wave 8, is underway in Saudi Arabia with participation from the naval forces of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti, the Egyptian military said Tuesday. The multi-day exercise includes joint mission planning, simulations to counter unconventional maritime threats and classroom training aimed at aligning operational procedures among participating forces.
Egypt said the exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability and deepen military cooperation among states bordering the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest and most strategically important maritime corridors. The training is part of Egypt’s broader schedule of recurring joint exercises with partner nations.
The participating countries are members of a Red Sea alliance founded by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, later joined by Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Jordan and Yemen. All share the Red Sea coastline, which links the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and facilitates a significant share of global trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The region has become a hub of international military competition. Djibouti hosts bases for the United States, France, China and Japan, while India and Russia have expanded their engagement. Gulf states, Turkey and Iran also exert influence through security partnerships with governments along the waterway. Analysts say any disruption in the corridor could affect shipping routes critical to global commerce.
Ethiopia, which does not have a coastline, has been monitoring developments with increasing unease. Ambassador Dina Mufti, a member of Ethiopia’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and security, told the BBC that Egypt is seeking to isolate Addis Ababa diplomatically and economically. She described Egypt as the most influential actor in the alliance after Saudi Arabia.
Her comments reflect Ethiopia’s concern that the emerging maritime security framework could limit its access to sea routes, an issue Addis Ababa considers vital to its long-term national security. Dina Mufti did not specify what steps Ethiopia may take but said the country would push back diplomatically against efforts to sideline it.
The Red Sea alliance has been under development since 2019, though earlier versions did not include key regional players such as Ethiopia or the United Arab Emirates. Egypt began promoting the framework as early as 2018 in consultations with the European Union.
- With files from the BBC Somali Service